Envelope



United States Patent 3,261,623 ENVELOPE David J. Kiedrowski, San Dimas, Calif., assignor to Pak- Well Paper Industries, Inc., Denver, Colo., a corporation of Colorado Filed Nov. 23, 1964, Ser. No. 413,125 1 Claim. (Cl. 282-25) This invention relates to an improved late charge envelope, and more particularly to a late charge envelope adapted to be prepared without smearing.

There is an extensive use in many businesses of late charge or delinquent notice envelopes each having an obscuring strip on an outer, addressing face of a closure flap thereof together with a patch of carbon paper positioned insidethe envelope and between the closure flap and the back panel of the envelope. Such an envelope is customarily used to send notice of an overdue account to an addressee and, after a portion of the closure flap is torn from the envelope by the addressee, to serve as a return envelope to the original sender. It has been difficult to secure the carbon paper patch in place and also the carbon paper patch often smears the back panel when the envelope is subjected to ordinary handling as, for example, when the envelope is passed between advancing rollers of a business machine adapted to address and print the amount of the overdue account through the obscuring strip. It would be desirable to provide such an envelope which is not subject to such smearing.

An object of the invention is to provide a new and improved late charge envelope.

Another object of the invention is to provide a late charge envelope adapted to be prepared without smear- A further object of the invention is to provide a mailing and return envelope having a non-smearing pressure printing patch.

The invention provides a late charge envelope having a patch of pressure printable material secured to the inside face of the back panel of an envelope in a position exposed by an open portion of the front panel of the envelope and in which a first portion of a closing flap of the envelope covers. This portion of the closing flap has an obscuring strip on the outer face thereof which may be printed by a typewriter or the like to print the patch. The closing flap also is preferably provided with a tear-off portion secured to the first portion, having the address of the addressee thereon, and adapted to cover the front panel of the envelope and the address of the sender which is utilized when the envelope is used as a return envelope.

A complete understanding of the invention may be obtained from the following detailed description of an improved envelope forming a specific embodiment thereof, when read in conjunction with the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary, face view of an envelopecarrying strip and envelopes carried thereby and each forming one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a face view of one side of one of the envelopes of FIG. 1 while in an unfolded condition;

FIG. 3 is a face view of the other side of the envelope of FIG. 2 while in its unfolded condition;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view taken substantially along line 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a face view of the envelope of FIG. 2 in folded condition except for a closure member thereof; and

FIG. 6 is a face view of the portion of the envelope of FIG. 2 used as a return envelope.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, there is shown in FIG. 1 a perforated strip 10 carrying envelopes 12 embodying the invention and secured to the strip 10 3,261,623 Patented July 19, 1966 "ice by tear-off strips 14, having adhesive layers 15 thereon, each envelope forming a specific embodiment of the invention. The strip 16 is adapted to move the envelopes through known business machines which print on each envelope an addressees name and address and also print on a patch 16 data such as, for example, as shown in FIG. 6, the due date 18 of an overdue account, the account number 20 and the amount of late charge 22. Identifying legends 24, 26 and 28 printed on the return .front panel 30 are positioned adjacent these data. A return, closure flap 32 is secured to back panel 34 along fold line 36, and is adapted to overlie and be secured to a transparent, moistenable adhesive layer 38 on the panel 30 to seal the envelope for return mailing to the sender.

When the flap 32 is open, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the patch 16 is visible through an elongated notch or opening defined by edge 33 of the panel 30 and edges of side flaps 40 to which the side edge portions of the panel 30 are secured by known adhesive portions (not shown). The patch 16 extends upwardly under the lower edge 33 of the panel 30, as viewed in FIG. 5, and is secured to the inside face of the back panel 34 by either a known moistenable adhesive or a known pressure sensitive adhesive. The patch 16 is of a known, commercially available, pressure printable paper which initially is of a light color, and when placed under pressure as by being struck by a type of a typewriter is darkened to exhibit the numeral or character of the type. One such paper which is highly satisfactory for this purpose is that sold by Minnesota Mining & Mfg. Co. under the name Action Paper. The paper is sufficiently insensitive that it does not become printed or marked from the pressures normally encountered in ordinary handling or in the paper feeding and guiding mechanisms of business machines, and is sufliciently sensitive that it prints readily, with good definition, when type is applied sharply thereto through the flap 32 as is applied by a typewriter or other printing mechanism of the business machine. Also, when a stylus such as, for example, a ball point pen, is pressed with substantially greater force than normally used in writing against the flap 32, the patch 16 will print. The paper of the patch 16 is believed to contain nickel dispersed throughout along with rupturable portions of a chemical, which when ruptured by the printing pressure or impact, reacts with the nickel to become dark blue and readily visible against the light color of the patch.

The envelope 12 has a sending, front panel or flap portion having adhesive spots 52 on the inside face thereof for sealing engagement with the outside face of the return front panel 30. The panel portion 50 is secured by a perforated tear line 54 to the flap 32 and by a perforated tear line 56 to the tear strip 14. A printed obscuring band 58 of the flap 32 overlies the patch 16 when the envelope is in its printing condition as illustrated in FIG. 1. This permits the information to be typed with ink on the band 58 to print the patch 16, with the data printed in ink on the band 58 being obscured and, hence, confidential. Also, during the processing in the business machine, the name and address 60 of the addressee are typed on the outer face, the envelope having the panel portion 50 secured to the panel 30 by the adhesive spots 52 (FIG. 5) during the entire processing by the business machine. The envelope may be torn from the tear strip 14, stamped or be placed in a metering machine which stamps the postage on the panel portion 50, and mailed to the addressee. Additional indicia 62, 64, 66 and 68 are provided on the envelope to provide further information.

When the envelope is received by the addressee, the panel portion 50 is pulled away from the panel 30. The data 18, 20 and 22 is noted by the addressee, who then makes out a check for the required amount and places the check in the envelope between the panels 30 and 34. The addressee then tears the panel portion 50 from the closure flap 32, seals the closure fi-ap 32 to the panel 30 and places a stamp on the panel 30. The envelope then is ready for return mailing.

The patch 16 preferably is secured to the back panel 34 while the envelope is in unfolded condition. However, the patch 16 can be easily secured to the panel 34 after the envelope has been folded and adhered together except for the panel portion 50 and flap 32 as illustrated by the condition of the envelope in FIG. 5. The entire under surface of the patch 16 may have pressure sensitive or moistenable adhesive thereon, or, since the upper edge portion of the patch, as viewed in FIG. 5, is tucked a short distance under the panel 30 and is held thereby, only one or two adhesive spots may be used to secure the patch to Y the back panel 34, such adhesive spots preferably being located near the ends and lower corners of the patch, as viewed in FIG. 5.

While the envelope 12 is shown as used with the perforated carrier strip printing the data thereon, the envelope 12 also may be typed without the use of the carrier strip whenever desired from customary handling and processing operations, it always presents a neat appearance, and never smears other parts of the envelope or any person handling the envelope while the envelope is open. I

It is to be understood that the above-described arrangements are simply illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention. Numerous other arrangements may be readily devised by those skilled in the art which will embody the principles of the invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is: A continuous envelope device including a perforated strip of paper and a plurality of envelopes secured to the strip at spaced points therealong, each envelope including a back panel of a predetermined width and lying against the strip, I

a return front panel secured along a fold line at the top thereof to the top edge of the back panel and of a width less than said predetermined width,

the return front panel lying against the back panel,

a pair of side flaps secured to the side edges of the back panel and to the side end portions of the return front panel and defining with the front panel an elongated viewing notch,

a patch of pressure printable material normally of a light color and capable of being darkened by pressure and secured in a position between the rear panel and the front panel and substantially filling the viewing notch,

a closure flap secured at a fold line to the bottom edge of the rear panel and adapted to cover the notch and the front panel,

a pair of pressure sensitive adhesive spots on the free edge portion of the closure flap for securing the closure flap to the front panel,

the closure flap having a tear line above the notch,

a moistenable adhesive between the front panel and the portion of the closure flap just below said tear line thereof,

the exterior portion of the closure flap below said tear line thereof and superimposed over the notch having a printed obscuring band,

the exterior portion of the front panel just above the notch having indicia identifying adjacent indicia printed on the patch of pressure printable material,

the exterior face of the front panel having a return address thereon,

the exterior face of the portion of the closure flap above said tear line thereof having a mailing address thereon,

and a tear-off strip secured by a tear line to the upper edge of the front flap and adhered to the strip,

the strip being adapted to be advanced through a business machine to have a mailing address formed by printing on the exterior face of the portion of the closure flap above the tear line thereof and to have confidential information printed by pressure on the obscuring band, whereby the indicia on the patch of pressure printable material is formed.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,469,878 10/ 1923 Bonneville et a1.

1,957,704 5/ 1934 Drachman 229-73 2,611,630 9/1952 Sawdon.

2,824,686 2/ 1958 Hamilton 229-69 3,058,758 10/ 1962 Govatsos 282-23 3,079,271 2/1963 Kranz 117-367 JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner. GEORGE O. RALSTON, Examiner. D. M. BOCKENEK, Assistant Examiner. 

